A Kansas City ministry is bringing new life to the homeless as we celebrate the new life Easter signifies.
During the Easter season and all through the year, City Union Mission shares hope with the hopeless and provides life-transforming services for homeless men, women and children in Kansas City. Throughout the weekend, the Mission will provide a variety of events for guests to enjoy the blessing of Easter.
On Saturday, April 20, the Vandenberg Youth Center will take approximately 20 children and staff members to the Easter Festival at Briarcliff Church, located at 800 NE Vivion Road, Kansas City, MO 64118. The event will take place from 12:30 to 3:30, and will allow kids who have faced hardships to enjoy egg hunts, bounce houses, a photo booth, cookie decorating, face painting, prizes and a food truck.
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“As we celebrate the miracle of Easter, we are so thankful for the support of community partners who give our guests the opportunity to experience their own miraculous transformations,” said Executive Director Dan Doty. “Because of the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we are all given the chance for a fresh start, forgiveness of sin, and a life filled with God’s blessings.”
For Easter Sunday, April 21, the Celebrate Recovery group from Lenexa Baptist Church will volunteer at the Mission’s Men’s Ministry. The men will enjoy a special sunrise service at 6:30 a.m., featuring incredible music and a presentation of the Gospel. At 7:30 a.m., the Celebrate Recovery group will serve a special breakfast featuring egg casseroles, breakfast meat and biscuits. These volunteers will be ministering to all of the men at the Mission – both overnight guests and those who have committed to the long-term Christian Life Program.
During the afternoon of April 21, the Mission will host a special Easter Crafts event featuring Allison Kennedy, wife of Kansas City Royals Pitcher, Ian Kennedy. Mrs. Kennedy will lead a crafts program from 4 to 5 p.m. for Mission guests of all ages. The event will take place at the City Union Mission Family Center located at 1310 Wabash Ave, Kansas City, MO 64127.
As we observe the Easter season, Doty hopes Mission friends and partners will remember those who are lost and hurting. “Just as Christ overcame death, the guests of the Mission need our help to overcome physical and spiritual death,” Doty said. “Many have felt the pain and despair of losing everything. The struggle with hunger, poverty, addiction and homelessness. They haven’t found a way to break free of the destructive habits that have taken over their lives. Yet because of the glorious message of rebirth at Easter, everyone who enters our doors can find hope for a new beginning.”
Thanks to the financial support of generous friends, the Mission is a place of hope and lasting transformation for hundreds of men, women and children each year. Doty says donations are especially critical right now as the need for shelter – especially among homeless families – continues to increase in the community. Donations can be made online at cityunionmission.org. Information on the Mission’s outreach to the homeless and poor can be found on the website as well.